Ghosh and Barry Make 2008 Man Booker Prize Shortlist – O’Neill and Rushdie Shut Out – Read the Full List of Finalists Here

Judge boasts in blog that “we had all got our cojones back, a bit” as panel kicks Netherland and The Enchantress of Florence in the nuts

The judges for the 2008 Man Booker Prize for fiction have announced the six finalists for the award, the winner of which will be named on Oct. 14:

The White Tiger by Aravind AdigaThe Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry Sea of Poppies by Amitav GhoshThe Clothes on Their Backs by Linda GrantThe Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz

The bookies at the William Hill agency in London immediately named Barry the 2-1 favorite to win the Man Booker, which carries a cash prize of 50,000 pounds. The odds-makers at Ladbroke’s called Aravind Adiga the favorite with Linda Grant close behind www.themanbookerprize.com/news/stories/1136. “We were convinced that the winner would be either Joseph O’Neill or Salman Rushdie and are amazed that neither even made the shortlist,” a spokesman for William Hill said. “As a result it looks like a very open competition with everyone in with a chance.”